Job placement protest at college

A STAFF REPORTER

Barrackpore, Sept. 22: Students of a Barrackpore engineering college gheraoed the principal and teachers for 14 hours since last evening in protest against the institute’s failure to assure 100 per cent placements, a grim pointer to dwindling job opportunities in Bengal with no industries coming up.

The gherao started around 8.30pm after the placement officer of the private Narula Institute of Engineering allegedly told the students that the institute would be able to help less than half of those who pass out this year find jobs through campus interviews “because of the economic downturn”.

Around 200 students gheraoed principal J.K. Das and 21 teachers and kept them confined to the room where the placement officer had met them before police rescued the officials around 10.30 this morning.

“The authorities had promised all of us jobs at the time of admission,” a student of electrical engineering said.

Principal Das said: “Our hands are tied. Many companies are not willing to come (for campus interviews). We had approached many companies but we can’t help it if they don’t come.”